Laura I was still sitting in the corner of the room thinking about what had just happened, and in disbelief, my head down as I thought about what I would say to my daughter if she asked why she was spending more time with her daddy than with me. How would I tell my daughter that I had lost custody
Laura “Are you trying to make me stay away from you by any chance?” I asked him in a low voice, looking at the ground. "What? What are you talking about?" He looked at me as he drove. “It's just that you don't look at all attractive to me right now, Gideon,” I told him, chuckling, but there was
Laura So after that, Ava lent me a change of dry, clean clothes to wear, which consisted of long, loose white linen pants with a longer, looser blouse that was still light in color. I felt funny in the outfit, but it was very comfortable. Ava was a person connected to nature, spirituality, and a cl
Laura The next day after this, Jason showed up at the Pritchard house to pick up Annie. Since the guard was with him now for the next two months, I couldn't do anything but go along with it and hope that Jason would do the wrong things so Annie could come back to me. “And when can I see her? Won’
Laura That night, I preferred to sleep in my office once again when office hours were over. I talked to my daughter on the cell phone until she fell asleep, and then I stared at the ceiling of my living room, trying to look for sleep that didn't appear. At that moment, I ended up thinking about the
Laura Jason and I stayed there, watching the little girl's recital while she followed along with her classmates. It was exciting to watch Annie grow into a happier child with each passing day. “She is a sweetheart. Isn't she? So cutie," Jason also commented, smiling delightedly. “Yes, she is be
Laura Since Jason and I decided that this time we were going to leave our differences aside so as not to spoil the memories that our daughter would have of that day, living with him around was even drinkable. It was even amazing how easily laughter came between us when the peace was sealed, even if
Terence We had just arrived in Chicago. Since we had children, going on a trip now was much more different and nerve-racking than before, when we were just a carefree couple. Now we could hardly go spend an idyllic weekend in Paris, not until we got everything sorted out with our children, so since
Annie POV Peter Morton’s face was just inches from mine, staring at me. The electric blue of his eyes was so close I could see his irises dilating and contracting. “You okay, Lady Ann?” he asked. I sighed with a small smile, half in delight. “It’s been a while since anyone called me that.” Actual
Annie POV The masked boy—who I didn’t want to admit was Peter—took me to an upscale, comfortable hotel where I could spend the night safely, away from everything, and try to regain my composure and figure out what to do next. “You can stay here,” he said calmly, though his voice still carried a hi
Annie POV The masked boy led me through the dark campus, his hand firm in mine as we ran away from the ballroom. My legs trembled, the blue dress swishing with each step, and tears still streamed down my face, hot and relentless. The sound of the shouts, the judgments, still echoed in my head, bu
“No choice?” He cut me off, his tone incredulous. “Are you serious? You chose to help Madison make that video. You chose to plug it into the projector. And now Annie’s out there, broken, while you try to run from the responsibility. This doesn’t fix anything, Abby. It wasn’t supposed to end like thi
Abby POV I was there, tucked away in the shadows of the ballroom’s corner, my heart still racing as I watched the chaos I’d helped create unfold. The giant screen kept playing that horrible video, distorted and manipulated clips of Annie echoing through the room like a final verdict. People poin
Annie POV I was still on the dance floor, the warmth of the masked boy’s body against mine, my head resting on his chest as the slow music guided us. The sound of his heartbeat against my ear was almost hypnotic, and I let myself get lost in that feeling I couldn’t quite explain. He’d just said s
I swallowed hard, Caleb’s words coming back to haunt me. “Have you ever stopped to think that maybe we’ve gone too far?” He’d said that at the mall, and I’d hung up on him, but now they echoed in my head. Annie had hurt me, yes. The fight in the dorm, the way she called me fake, like I was trash she
Abby POV I was leaning against the wall of the ballroom, the cup of punch in my hand already warm and forgotten, as I watched Annie dance with that masked boy. The soft lights of the ball cast shadows over them, and even from so far away, you could feel something in the air—a chemistry almost tangi
Anne POV I was there, trying to at least pretend I was enjoying the party with Summer, letting the loud music and spinning lights distract me from the weight pressing on my chest. Summer danced beside me, throwing her arms up with that endless energy of hers, and I tried to keep up, forcing a smile